Beth Louella
POCAHONTAS - INSPIRED BY HER INTELLIGENCE AND BRAVERY
Paint and collage on canvas
The artist creates celebratory paintings, mixed media pieces and drawings that explore emotional, physical, spiritual and social themes. She is especially interested in connection and unity; despite the Isle of Man having significant geographical ‘boundaries’, she believes the island is connected and ‘boundary-less’ in many ways. The artist has Native American heritage, she lives in the Isle of Man and has strong connections to the island going back generations. ‘Pocahontas – Inspired by Her Intelligence and Bravery’ celebrates the 17th century Native American Princess Pocahontas (Matoaka) and draws parallels between Native American and Manx culture and history. Although the two cultures appear to have many ‘boundaries’ and differences between them, there are multiple similarities which The artist explores and celebrates in this painting through symbolism, colour and composition. The artist has aimed to depict Pocahontas in an authentic way by referencing her real story and celebrating her heritage which includes focus on the Princess’s facial tattoos, a feature left out of portraits of her created at the time. The artist emphasises Pocahontas’s strength referring to significant female empowerment in both cultures historically and she explores themes of womanhood and motherhood. The strong associations both cultures have with spirituality and their land is also a focus along with the impact of invaders and subsequent restriction of culture. The striking four horned Manx Loaghtan sheep draw an interesting parallel with the nearly identical Native American Navajo-Churro sheep and emphasises the commonality between the two cultures.
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